I gotta come clean: I think TWO FOR THE ROAD is overrated. This is a movie I wish I liked but cannot stand. About the only interesting thing in it is the nonlinear story structure. The way they segue through time using the loosest connections was very interesting and I would love to see it used in a movie with a better story.

The thing is, I do not care about any of these characters. Neither Finney nor Hepburn's characters are terribly interesting on their own, and while they share sexual chemistry onscreen (and apparently did off as well), I do not buy for a second that the two ever really love one another or that there is anything in their relationship worth salvaging. Not in the least. And as a result, I don't care if they stay together or split up. They seem like two people who banged on a beach then got married on impulse-- and remain that way! I never sensed a deeper connection between them other than "we make each other laugh every now and then when we aren't cheating on one another!"

Much has been made of Hepburn's performance, and much wailing and gnashing of teeth have there been over her getting a nomination for the horror-thriller WAIT UNTIL DARK instead. My own indifference to award shows aside, give me Hepburn in WAIT UNTIL DARK over this any day. Even without her expert portrayal of blindness, there she played a far more compelling character trying to overcome her own psychological insecurities in addition to mortal peril.

Here, while she shows talent in playing a sometimes unlikable character (this performance in its brittle moments shows what route she might have taken had she taken up the offer to play Nurse Ratched in ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST), the character is so uninteresting and wishy-washy that I'm left absolutely unaffected. I don't care if she's playing a woman over ten years of her life and I don't care if it's different from the classy gamines she normally played-- when I don't care about the character, the best performance in the world is all for nothing.

So if we don't have interesting characters or a believable, compelling relationship between them, what do we have? A movie peopled by obnoxious characters that drags on far longer than its two hour runtime, with only pretty scenery, a solid Mancini score, and cool 1960s fashions to recommend it.

EDIT: Rewatched this recently in the hopes of liking it more. I ended up liking it less. I'm now convinced Mark Wallace is a narcissist and that the "happy" ending is more a case of putting the inevitable divorce off for another ten years rather than any triumph of devoted love.

This film tells the story of a married couple, played by Albert Finney and Audrey Hepburn, who have been married for a decade and are experiencing a rough patch in their marriage. The events of their ten-year marriage unfold through a series of non-linear flashbacks and present day scenes. I felt that the non-linear storytelling format was perfect for this film. A longtime marriage is a relationship that evolves over the course of time. A couple who has been together forever will have experienced happy times, trying times, sad times, etc.

We see Finney and Hepburn meet in the 1950s when Hepburn was traveling with the choir. We see them fall in love. Later, we see the happy couple on their honeymoon. Then we see the couple bickering about children and infidelity. During the more blissful days of their relationship, Finney and Hepburn have modest means. The present day scenes show Finney as a successful architect and he and Hepburn are living the high life. However, Hepburn is very distant and cold to her husband. With money, the couple is unhappy. In one of the present day scenes, Hepburn and Finney are lounging on a beach and conversing very tersely with one another. This scene is juxtaposed with a flashback sequence showing the couple on the same beach but having fun--a very different experience than what they're having now. There are quite a few scenes that show Finney and Hepburn returning to old haunts only to have a completely different experience than they had prior. For some people, these old rendezvous spots may elicit some type of nostalgic feeling, albeit a happy or bittersweet feeling. In Two For the Road, I get the sense that the flashback sequences are all looking back on a relationship with a feeling of sadness.

In Two For the Road, I get the sense that both Finney and Hepburn are unhappy because they don't feel that passion that they used to have and their relationship has become very routine. No longer are they spending the night randomly in concrete construction pipes or frolicking on the French Riviera countryside. Now Finney has a career. Finney and Hepburn are parents to a little girl. From the present day scenes in the film, I get the sense that both parties are bored with one another and are looking for something to spice up the relationship.

As an aside, I loved Hepburn's costumes in this film. Her present day, 1967 wardrobe was especially fun and I loved her giant sunglasses. Hepburn wore a variety of hairstyles in this film, which aided in informing the viewer which era of Finney and Hepburn's relationship they are viewing. In the early days of the relationship (mid-1950s), Hepburn wears her hair in a very prim fashion, a bob with bangs and a headband. Later, before she and Finney have their daughter, she has her hair long and straight. When their daughter arrives, Hepburn's hair is a short bob. Later, in the present day, she sports a very chic, very hip, short hairstyle.

I really enjoyed Two For a Road for it's realistic look at a couple who have experienced many ups and downs in their ten year union.